1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a content output system for outputting content, and an output control device and an output control method for controlling the switching and outputting of content.
2. Description of Related Art
Digital signage (electronic signage) is an advertising medium using digital technology and outputs content as, for example, an advertisement for commercial purposes to a content output device installed in a shop or public space etc. Content to be outputted by the content output device is statically or dynamically changed according to the location where the content output device is installed, the current time, or whether or not there are passerby near the content output device. In the case where the content is statically changed, for example, the output control device in the content output device switches a plurality of pieces of content sequentially and causes the content output device to output the content.
In the case where the content is dynamically changed, for example, the output control device of the content output device obtains an image from an image capture device for capturing images in the vicinity of the content output device (hereinafter referred to as the captured image), performs human recognition processing on the obtained captured image to detect whether or not there are passerby or detect the number of passerby, switches a plurality of pieces of content according to the result of the human recognition processing, and causes the content output device to output the content. In addition, if passerby's face recognition processing is performed together with the human recognition processing, detailed information about the passerby (for example, sex or age group of the passerby) is obtained. In this case, content is appropriately changed according to the obtained information, and the obtained information is collected to facilitate the evaluation of the advertising effect.
Other example of changing dynamically the content is an information output device which detects the moving speed of a passerby and switches the content according to the detected moving speed (see Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-235311). There is a high possibility that passerby who are moving at a low speed pay attention to content, while there is a low possibility that passerby who are moving at a high speed pay attention to content. Hence, the information output device disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2006-235311 switches the content according to whether or not there is a high possibility that passerby are paying attention to the content. As a result, the advertising effect of the content is improved.
By the way, real-time human tracking technology in an indoor known environment has been conventionally proposed (see “Real-time Human Tracking Using Ellipsoid Model”, Hirokazu Kato, Atsushi Nakazawa, and Seiji Inokuchi, Journal of Information Society of Japan, Vol. 40, No. 11, p. 4087-4096).